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The weight of my experiences from what I saw and did in Afghanistan is sometimes too much to bear. People keep telling me to talk or journal about it. But what if I start sharing—even on paper—and it gets worse? The thought terrifies me. I know I need to deal with my PTSD but don’t know how. What do you suggest? Dr. Klassen answers your questions about mental health treatment.

My wife was a medic in Afghanistan and is suffering from PTSD, including debilitating nightmares. She does not want to share her experiences with me. She needs therapy but had an unsuccessful experience with at the VA, and other therapists have long waiting lists. I’m not sure how much longer she can hold on. How can I help her? In this video, Dr. Klassen, an expert on mental health issues and treatment, shares a list of resources for mental health therapy and discusses the challenges of moral injury.

Creating individualized treatment plans for veterans is crucial as they may be experiencing symptoms from PTSD, TBI or other concussive injuries as well as moral injury. Often, soldiers enter a war in their late teens or early 20s when their brain has not yet reached full maturation. Providers must consider all of a veteran’s physical and psychological factors when tailoring treatment strategies.

Looking at a person’s heart rate, skin conductance, or other ways the physical body reacts to the stressors of PTSD offers providers a more nuanced path toward understanding how PTSD impacts a person’s life and in what ways treatments can alter those physical and emotional reactions.

Transitioning from military to civilian life can be jarring and can sometimes lead to suicide, but veteran Morgan Luttrell says to stick it out. Take the reins, find the help you need, and commit to it.

While others recognized veteran Morgan Luttrell's depression and emotional struggles he had difficulty seeing them himself. 

Veteran Jonathan Warren was very skeptical of transcranial magnetic stimulation session, but as his sessions continued his improved sleep continued and his heavy use of alcohol and marijuana reduced. 

Veteran Jonathan Warren felt able to cope with the physical symptoms of his brain injury but he thought the emotional issues were caused by his PTSD. He soon realized that a brain injury can lead to those intangible issues as well.

Veteran Jonathan Warren came back from service convinced he was fine -- until things started to change. Even though tests told him nothing was physically wrong, he new something wasn't right. So he took action. He dove in to finding treatments that might help -- and he started seeing results.

A documentary film about isolation, art, and transformation after brain injury. Co-directed by a peer with TBI, this film takes you into the hearts of three artists and demonstrates how art can be a bridge back to a sense of self-pride and to the community. The psychosocial consequences of TBI can be some of the harshest and most misunderstood.

Many people with a brain injury lose their social connections. In this video three people with TBI bring their experiences of social isolation, stigma, and difficulties with communication to this short comedy film.